Accounting system

ABSTRACT

An accounting system with pre-configured client modules. Each of the modules has interface forms for entering transaction records, pre-assigned transaction category codes stored on a storage medium, code selectors for selecting a pre-assigned category code to associate with a transaction record, and a client chart of accounts for selection of a client predetermined account to which the transaction records are to be associated. Each account includes a pre-allocated unique account identification and a client prescribed account description. Each category code is pre-specified as a taxed or non-taxed, and as an expenditure or income transaction type. The system obtains information relevant to tax liabilities of the transaction records through prompts associated with each transaction category codes that have tax liabilities extracts the entered information for allocating tax liabilities of the transaction.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to an accounting system for processing transactions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For many years, operators of small and medium enterprises (SME) have been performing manual bookkeeping work for transaction records. The books containing the transaction records are then given to the operators' accountants for preparing accounts statements and tax returns.

Recent changes in taxation law, especially the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which requires businesses to collect GST in any transaction that attracts this tax and to submit periodic Business Activities Statements (BAS), have made manual bookkeeping tasks extremely complex. Consequently, SME operators, in general, have resorted to use a computerised accounting system to enter transaction records so that the records can be processed for generating reports for their accountants and the tax authority.

To use the computerised accounting system effectively and to produce accounts reports that are acceptable to accountants and the tax authority, the operators not only have to learn basic computer skills, but also accounting terms and procedures employed in their accounting application software and taxation liabilities appropriate for their businesses.

The application software must also be configured to suit accounting practices of individual SME operators. That means the operators must acquire the necessary knowledge in accounting practice and tax law in order to configure the application software to use the accounting procedures and tax liability options that suit their businesses.

The application software is intended for general use and employs common accounting terms for transactions. Consequently, the SME operators can no longer use the transaction item descriptions they have adopted for their manual bookkeeping system. This represents a major disadvantage for most of the SME operators who now must spend time familiarising with new accounting terms that they are unfamiliar of. Transaction entry errors often occurs when using unfamiliar terms to enter transaction records. The errors can be very difficult to trace and correct.

With the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the computerised accounting system has become more complicated for the SME operators as they must now act as collection agents for the GST. To set up the accounting system for generating BAS, SME operators must configure the application software with appropriate tax liabilities of goods and services that attract GST and other taxes. These requirements place heavy burdens on SME operators. In addition, many of them do not have sufficient knowledge to determine which transaction items attract GST and which do not. They also do not have the necessary knowledge to allocate transactions in order to correctly report the GST, Pay As You Go (PAYG) Withholding and PAYG Installments in the BAS.

Periodically, the entered transaction records need to be reconciled with bank records. The reconciliation process is not generally understood by SME operators, and is time consuming.

The known computerised accounting system is for processing accounts reports only. It would be desirable to use information obtainable from transaction records to perform management related functions.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to alleviate or to reduce to a certain level one or more of the aforementioned prior art disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in an accounting system including at least one client module for use by a client. The at least one client module has transaction entry means for entering transaction records, pre-assigned transaction category codes being stored on a storage medium, means for selecting a pre-assigned category code to associate with a transaction record to be entered through the transaction entry means, and a client chart of accounts for selection of an account to which the transaction record is to be associated, the accounts being predetermined by the client or in accordance with accounts of at least one trading type prenominated by the client. Each of said accounts include a pre-allocated unique account identification and an account description which is prescribed by the client or generally adopted by traders in said at least one trading type, and each of said category codes is pre-specified as a taxed or non-taxed, and as an expenditure or income transaction type.

In another aspect therefore the present invention resides in an accounting system including at least one client module for use by a client. The at least one client module has transaction entry means for entering transaction records, and means for obtaining information relevant to tax liabilities of the transaction records. Said information obtaining means has one or more prompts associated with each of a plurality transaction category codes that have tax liabilities, and is arranged to present the associated one or more prompts for entering information relevant to tax liabilities when one of said category code is nominated for a transaction to be entered, and to extract the entered information for allocating tax liabilities of the transaction.

Preferably, said one or more prompts are in the form of one or more leading questions for the client to enter said relevant tax liability information in a designated location(s), and the at least one client module is arranged to extract the entered information at said designated location(s) and apply a tax liability determination procedure which is specific for the or each extracted information from said designated location(s).

It is preferred that the at least one client module has report generating means arranged to access the entered transaction records for generating accounting reports. More preferably, the report generating means includes a report selection arrangement for selecting any one of a number of accounting reports for generation.

In preference, at least one of said taxed category codes is pre-allocated to taxation segments for a taxation report, being one of the accounting reports. More preferably, said taxation report is a Business Activity Statement (BAS) that complies with the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Where a taxed category code having a variable taxation allocation is entered, it is preferred that a window with appropriate prompts for specifying amounts to be allocated is presented entering the amounts.

Said at least one trading type may include trading activities involving the provision of goods and/or services relating to any class of business. Examples of the business classes are accountancy, hardware retail and wholesale, electrical goods and repair services, plumbing supplies and services, health care goods and services, mechanical repair services, transportation goods, etc.

It is further preferred that the category codes include a category for wages and the wage category is associated with a wage account in said client chart of accounts. Accordingly, the system according to the present invention also functions as payroll package.

The system may have storage means for storing the transaction records and is arranged for accessing bank statement records over a communications network. The at least one client module may have reconciliation means for reconciling said stored transaction records with the bank statement records.

Preferably, the system includes at least one adviser module having report generating means being arranged to access transaction records transferred from the at least one client module for generating accounting reports and management reports. More preferably, the report generating means includes a report selection arrangement for selecting any one of a number of accounting and management reports for generation.

The system may also include an administration module for administering said at least one client module, and the administration module and the at least one client module are arranged for communication over a communications network, The administration module has a master chart of accounts from which the client chart of accounts is extracted, and chart generating means for generating said master chart of accounts in accordance with a user's determination. It is preferred that the client chart of accounts is locked so that the account identifications and the account descriptions therein can not be altered.

It is further preferred that the administration module has a transaction code generating means for generating the transaction codes as specified by the user.

The system may have a number of client modules in communication with the administration module. Each of the client modules has a unique client reference and is adapted to transfer sales orders and/or purchase orders through the administration module. Each of said sales orders and/or purchase orders including a client reference of a purchasing client module and a client reference of a supplier client module. The administration module may have a coordination unit arranged to use the client references to transfer a purchase order from the purchasing client module to the supplier client module and to transfer a subsequently received invoice from the supplier client module to the purchasing client module. It is preferred that payment of the invoice is also transfer through the administration module so that the coordination unit has a record that the invoice has been settled.

Accordingly, the system of the present invention can store transaction information between suppliers and purchasers. The coordination unit can thus be arranged to automate purchase orders when stocks for transactions are below predetermined levels.

Preferably, the or each said client module is associated with an adviser module which is also arranged to be in communication with the administration module so that the transaction records of the associated client(s) can be accessed remotely.

The at least one client module may be a cash book module or an accrual module or a combined cash book and accrual module, or a payroll module or a point of sale module, or any combination of two or more of said modules.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the present invention can be readily understood and put into practical effect the description will hereinafter referto the accompanying drawings which illustrate non limiting embodiments of the present invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the accounting system according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are flow diagrams showing steps in configuring a cashbook module for the system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B schematically show the procedure in locating client databases in the system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 to 4B are interface forms for entering payment and receipt; FIG. 4C shows an example of a transaction table with transaction information entered in the interface forms shown in FIGS. 4 to 4B;

FIGS. 5 to 5C are flow diagrams of steps in creating a client module;

FIGS. 5D to 5Q are interface forms for creating and maintaining client modules;

FIG. 5R is report listing available headers for accounts;

FIG. 5S is a report of selected accounts;

FIG. 6 shows operational steps in creating and maintaining accounts files;

FIG. 6A shows the operational steps of the script manager;

FIGS. 6B to 6F are some interfaces for the steps shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 shows the client verification procedure in the client module;

FIG. 7B is a flow diagram of steps in the Payment Entry and Receipt Entry options;

FIG. 7C shows examples of the procedures for prompting the user to provide information for the Receipt Entry option;

FIG. 7D shows examples of the procedures for prompting the user to provide information for the Payment Entry option;

FIGS. 7E and 7F show the steps in accounts reconciliation;

FIG. 8A is an interface form for receipt entry;

FIG. 8B is an interface form for payment entry;

FIGS. 8C to 8S are interface forms with prompts for entering information for Receipt Entry and Payment Entry, and for accounts reconciliation;

FIGS. 8T to 8Y are some examples of reports hat are available;

FIG. 9A in an example of the main interface for the general ledger;

FIG. 9B is a flow diagram of options available in the general ledger;

FIG. 9C shows the steps in processing GST components to the general ledger;

FIGS. 9D to 9F are examples of some of the general ledger reports;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing steps for online transfer of a purchaser order and a supplier invoice through the administration module;

FIG. 10A shows steps in a standard cost process;

FIG. 10B is an overview of an embodiment of an accounts accrual system;

FIGS. 10C to 10F show procedures for the debtor related operations of the accrual system;

FIG. 10G shows the procedure for a purchase order;

FIG. 10H shows a procedure for credit payment;

FIGS. 101 to 10N show the procedures for an extended point of sale system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 there is shown an accounting system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 10 has a number of client modules 12 operating on computers, a number of advisor modules 13, and an administration module 14 operating on a server computer system 14 which may be arranged as shown in FIG. 33. The server system 14 and an administrator unit 16 are connected in a local area network. The client module 12 is connected to the server system 14 through the World Wide Web including the Internet 18. As can be seen some of the advisor module 13 can be formed of a group of networked computers.

The adviser modules 13 can access the server system 14 to transfer information to the server system 14 for configuring the client module 12 and to retrieve transaction information of the associated client module 12.

Typically, each of the client modules 12 include a cashbook module, and the advisor module 13 of a client module 12 is managed by a professional accountant who advises the accounting procedures and tax liability options that are appropriate to the client. Each of the advisor modules 13 would also be provided with account descriptions that the client is familiar with. To request the administration module 14 to configure or edit a client module 12, the accountant can use the adviser module 13 to transfer the client's account requirements to the administration module 14. The information provided to set up the master chart of accounts would include any private percentage to be applied to an account and if so which ledger account the private portions are to be allocated. The accountant would also advise the following where applicable:

-   -   Cash or Accrual BAS reporting     -   Small food retailer percentage     -   Predominant Long Term Commercial Accommodation     -   New Motor Vehicles purchased before 23 May 2001     -   Hire purchase start before 1 Jul. 2000     -   Hire purchase new motor vehicle before 23 May 2001     -   Particulars of predetermined GST status (eg Property lease)     -   Bank reconciliation

The account requirements provided by the accountant are used to set up a master chart of accounts for the client. From the master chart of accounts, the accounts for use by the client are identified for generating a user chart of accounts.

If the client does not use an accountant he/she can either provide the required information for configuring a user chart of accounts or simply nominate a trading type of his/her business-activities and the administration module 14 would automatically configure a default user chart of accounts based the known account configurations of most businesses in the same trading type.

FIG. 2A shows the flow of information between a client who wishes to configure a client module 12, an advisor (accountant in this case) module 13 and the administration module 16. As can be seen, the client and the accountant exchange information regarding the client's account requirements and the accountant accordingly uses a journal maintenance unit 20 to create a general journal for this client. In this respect, the client can provide his/her own descriptions of accounts that are familiar to him/her by using the requester 22 and/or scripter 24.

The accountant then uses a requester unit 22 of the advisor module 13 to select the appropriate accounts from a master chart of account to be configured for a client chart of accounts having the account descriptions that are familiar to the client. The administration module 14 on receiving the request from the account creates a client database for the client chart of accounts and configures a client module 12 using the client chart of accounts having the account descriptions that are familiar to the client. Accordingly, when delivered the client can simply install and use the client module 12 without the labourious and error prone tasks of configuring the client module 12 and determining tax liabilities of the accounts. The client module 12 is also set up to communicate with the administration module 14 over a communications network such as the World Wide Web (WWW) 18.

The client module 12 has a scripter unit 24 for initiating a request to edit the description of any account in the client chart of accounts. The request to edit is either transferred directly to the administration module 14 (where an advisor module 13 is not linked to a client module 12) or to the advisor module 13 for registering at the advisor module 13 before forwarding to the administration module 14 for editing the account.

In FIG. 2B, the client module 12, the advisor module and the administration module 14 are arranged to communicate over a communications network including the WWW 18 so that the administration module 14 is directly responsive to any request from the client module 12 or the advisor module 13.

FIG. 3A shows the procedure for a client module 12 to locate the server computer of the administration module 14 where its accounts records are stored. The system 10 uses a communications service which allows its networked modules 12 and 13 to make remote procedure calls (RPC) to the server computer of the administration module 14. Uses of the RPC may include enumerating Users and Databases, and accessing other information not available via the client database, including information from the administration module 14 and/or the administration database. In addition, RPC allows potentially sensitive database or other operations onto the server and away from the client modules 12 and the advisor modules 13, such that sensitive information is never sent over the network.

RPC uses HTTP or HTTP over SSL for communication and uses an obscure port for its Server endpoint. Clients can determine the address and port of this endpoint by using DNS SRV (Service Location) lookups for _eclatrpc._tcp.eclat.net.au.

To locate its accounts records on the administration module 14, a client module 12 do the followings:

-   1. Enter the client module name (for Example, Barry's Big Bins might     be barrysbigbins). This will be referred to as the IDB Name. -   2. Append The IDB Name to system Domain Name. (ie     barrysbigbins.eclat.net.au. This will be referred to as an IDB DNS     Name. -   3. Using RFC, the system 10 attempts to determine a list of possible     servers to connect to. In particular, a record such as     _database._tcp.barrysbigbins.eclat.net.au should return 1 or more     Address Records specifying valid Accounting Servers, as shown in     FIG. 3A. -   4. The client can then select and connect to a Database Server to     access its records using the IDB Name.

At this point, the client module 12 has all the information required to make a connection to the administration module 14 to locate its accounts records. The client can make a connection to the server of the administration module 14 in the following way:

-   5. The client retrieves the Hostnames, IP Addresses, and Ports of     Suitable Servers (This information is returned from DNS SRV     Queries—Above) -   6. Check weighting and priority from the SRV reply. Select the     server with the lowest Priority and Weighting. If multiple servers     are returned with the same Priority and Weighting (ie a Cluster)     randomly select one of these records. If only one record is returned     we must use it. -   7. The client makes a suitable connection to an IP Address/Port     pair. -   8. Once the connection is established, the client MUST authenticate     using their SYSTEM credentials.

An advisor module 13 such as that of an account may have permission to control 1 or more Client Databases. As a consequence, the module 13 should enumerate all databases to which they have access, and allow the account to select a particular database. The following set of procedure steps describes how the account can enumerate the client databases:

-   1. Using RFC and the DNS Name: _eclatrpc._tcp.eclat.net.au, a list     of potential RPC Servers can be found. -   2. Client randomly selects 1 server from the list of RPC Servers.     This selection may be prioritized or weighted. -   3. Client Makes a request to an RPC server     (ie/_eclat_bin/catalbgList/?) -   4. RPC Backend Server processes the request and builds a response -   5. Client receives the response, and can now process or parse the     response, as shown in FIG. 3B.

Each client module 12 a transaction database with the following transaction fields: Field Description Record ID A unique identifier for an entire transaction Client ID The client ID for which this transaction occurred (optional) Trading type ID of types of normal business activities of client Product ID The product ID for this row in the transaction (optional) Invoice ID The invoice ID for this row in the transaction (optional) Quantity The quantity of items sold (optional) SPU (reserved for later use) Original Invoice Total The original amount on the invoice (optional) Amount Owing The amount left owing on the invoice (optional) Payment Total The total amount for this transaction Tran Head Entry Is this row the header row for the transaction Payee Name The payee name for the transaction Payment Type The payment method Payment Type Details Any extra details about the payment method, i.e. Cheque number Paid To Describes the payee info field Payee Info Describes the payee Source Payment The source accounts description Reference Extra information on the payment method Receipt To What module does the payment/receipt go to Receipt Details Extra information about the receipt Locked Has this transaction been reconciled? Accounting Method Which module does the transaction belong to? Overwrite (reserved for later use) Bank Branch The branch number for the bank account Bank Department The department number for the bank account Branch The branch number for the destination account Department The department number for the destination account Entry Date The date of the transaction Age How old is the transaction? Period Which period (financial month) does the transaction belong? Type Is this a payment, a receipt or a general journal entry Amount What was the amount of the row for Description The destination accounts description Amount Withheld The amount that was withheld Interest The amount of interest Principal The amount of principal Stamp Duty The amount of stamp duty Voluntary Agreement The amount that was due to a voluntary agreement Instalment Amount The instalment amount GST Amount The amount of GST Items Sold The amount that was due to items sold GST Paid The amount of GST that was paid Pre 28 The amount that was attained before 28/5/2000 TFN Amount Withheld The amount withheld from the tax file number AW Amount Withheld (reserved) Margin Amount The margin amount for this account Capital The amount of capital gains tax Taxed Other The amount of taxed other Input Taxed The amount of input tax Input Tax Sales The amount of input tax due to sales No GST The amount of no GST Private The amount that was private Non GST Reportable The amount that is NON GST Reportable GST The amount of GST GST Suspense The amount of GST in suspense Wage Clearing The amount of PAYG Withholding Wage Clearing (2) The amount of other withholdings ABN Withhold The amount withholding from the ABN GL Amount The general ledger amount Export Supply The export supply amount GST Free The GST free amount GST Pre The amount of pre GST Tax Supply The amount of tax supply Instalment Income The amount of instalment income Account ID The destination account ID Account Header ID The destination account header ID Outstanding Is the row outstanding? Tran Code What was the Code of the destination account? Private Use Only Is this row a sub row that is used for GST balancing purposes Suspense Moved Has the suspense been moved to NON GST reportable

Each client module 12 also has a client chart of accounts with the following accounts fields: Field Description Branch The branch number for this account Department The department number for this account COY The company number (reserved) Account ID The account id of this account in the form of XXXX.XXXX Account Description A 40 character description for the account Debit/Credit Is this account a DEBIT or CREDIT account Post Is this account a posting account End Of Year This field determines what is done with the data after the financial year Comments Any comments for this account GST Split The private portion percentage for this account Group ID The entity ID that this account belongs to (0 = all) SP Status Is this account a bank account Retention The retention account ID Code The E or I code that applies to this account Extended Code An extended code for miscellaneous account options i.e. CA = Capital Open Status Is this account an open status account Credit Total The opening credit on this account Debit Total The opening debit on this account Saved Total Used to temporarily store current balances for each account Must Select This field is 1 if this account must be selected when its entity is selected Selected Is this account selected for use Taxed Acquisition % The taxed acquisition percentage that applies to this account Source Is this account identified as a source account in requester New Account ID If this account is a new account from requester what is its ID

The system 10 uses account category codes for identifying transaction categories. In this embodiment, the following category codes are employed. Code Description Type E01 General Expense E02 Wages Expense E03 Non-Reportable Expense E04 GST Paid Up Front Expense E05 Included Stamp Duty Expense E06 Loan Expense E07 Hire Purchase - [ACCRUALS] Expense E08 Hire Purchase - [CASH] Expense E09 Motor Vehicle Registrations Expense E10 GST Free Expense E11 Voluntary Agreement Expense E12 Input Taxed Expense E13 Private NON Deductible Expense E14 Airfare Tax Expense E15 Taxed Acquisition Expense E16 (reserved) Expense E17 (reserved) Expense E18 GST Suspense Expense E19 (reserved) Expense E20 (reserved) Expense I01 General Income I02 Small Food Retailer Income I03 NON Reportable Income I04 Export Supply Income I05 Input Taxed Income I06 Tax Supply Income I07 Pre Jan. 7, 2000 Income I08 GST Free Income I09 Long-term Accommodation Income I10 Predominately LTCA Income I11 Margin Scheme Income I12 TFN Withholding Income I13 (reserved) Income I14 GST Suspense Income I15 LTCA Input Taxed Income I16 Cost of Goods Sold Income I17 (reserved) Income I18 (reserved) Income I19 (reserved) Income I20 (reserved) Income

Shown below are examples of some accounts in a master chart of accounts and a client chart of accounts for a butcher: Master chart for accounts for Sales trade Account ID Acc Descript Description 1100.0000 Sales Header 1100.1000 Sale of goods to customers General with Instalment Income 1100.1001 Sales to Australian customers General with Instalment Income 1100.2000 Sale second hand goods Tax Supply with Cost of Good Sold 1100.2001 Sale of new goods General with Instalment Income 1100.2002 Sale 2nd hand goods costing over $300 Tax Supply with Cost of Good Sold 1100.2003 Sale 2nd hand goods costing under $300 Tax Supply with Instalment Income 1100.2004 Sale 2nd hand goods from global pool GST Suspense with Instalment income 1100.3000 Sale of goods on consignment General with Instalment Income 1100.3001 Sale of new goods on consignment General with Instalment Income 1100.3002 Sale 2nd hand goods on consignment Tax Supply with Cost of Goods Sold 1100.4000 Small food retailer sales Small Food Retailer with Instalment Income 1100.4001 Sale of pet food Tax Supply 1100.4003 Sale of fresh meat GST Free

Client chart of accounts for a Butcher—Sales Trade Account ID Acc Descript Description 1100.0000 Sales Header 1100.4001 Sale of pet food Tax Supply 1100.4003 Sale of fresh meat GST Free

FIG. 4 shows an example of using a client's description of an account (insurance general in this case) for an E05 category code transaction. When the first row in the Amount field is selected, the client module 12 retrieves and shows details of the relevant transaction as shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4B shows the details of the Amount in the second row.

Each client module 12 applies an appropriate tax formula to calculate tax liabilities of a transaction. The following table lists some of the tax formulae: Field Formula GST GSTFromInclusive(CalcExPerc(txtsdTaxedAcq.Value, GSTSplit), GSTMargin) TaxedOther CalcExPerc(txtsdTaxedAcq.Value, GSTSplit) No GST CalcExPerc(txtsdGSTFree.Value, GSTSplit) Private CalcPerc(txtsdTaxedAcq.Value, GSTSplit) + CalcPerc(txtsdGSTFree.Value, GSTSplit) + CalcPerc(txtsdStampduty.Value, GSTSplit), GL Amount iOrigAmount − (CalcPerc(txtsdTaxedAcq.Value, GSTSplit) + CalcPerc (txtsdGSTFree.Value, GSTSplit) + CalcPerc(txtsdStampduty.Value, GSTSplit)) Non GST txtsdStampDuty.Value Reportable

Each client module 12 is arranged to generate transaction reports of selected transactions. Using the FIG. 4 transactions, the module 12 can generate a report as shown in FIG. 4C.

FIG. 5 shows the steps applied in the requester unit 22 for creating a client database of a client module 12 using the relevant fields as shown below. Field Description General Client Information Full Name Full Name of Client Trading Name Trading Name of Client Address Clients Address Phone Number Clients Phone Number ABN ABN of related business Licence Type This option allows the Accountant to select which version of the program they wish to use, they have the option of Multi Users or Single User. This option determines whether or not they are allowed to have multiple users using their database at a time Reporting Method Reporting method for client, two option Cash or Accruals Year The financial year that this database is intended for AS Variables Company/Fund Deferred Value ATO provided figure for the client PAYG Commissioner Rate ATO determined instalment rate Fringe Benefit tax instalment value Accountant determined fixed fringe benefit amount GST Free Rate Small business GST Free concession Modules to Include In Package Cashbook (base system) General Cashbook/General Ledger system - this must be included Accruals Accrual accounting system including inventory Achievement Model Business management model Assets Resource Management Budget Financial Forecasting Manufacturing Process Standard and Variance Analysis Point Of Sale Point of Sale Incorporating both Retail and Wholesale Provisions Accrued Expenses Payroll/Personnel System Personnel Management Step 3 Fields Entity Components Club or Association (self explanatory) Company (self explanatory) Consolidation Adjustment (self explanatory) Manufacturing Account Includes accounts used for manufacturing purposes Partnership (self explanatory) Sole Trader (self explanatory) Superannuation Fund (self explanatory) Trading Account Includes accounts used for trading purposes Trust Discretionary (self explanatory) Trust Unit (self explanatory) Partner Fields ID A unique identifier for the partner, this field is automatically User Name A user name for this partner Name The full name of this partner Share The shared percentage of profits that this partner is distributed Comments Any comments associated with this partner Step 6 Fields (Section 1) Reconciliation Details Account Selected bank accounts for this reconciliation entry Description Type of item Amount The amount for the reconciliation entry Reference Reference point for this reconciliation entry Step 9 Fields (Submission) Email Settings Username The clients Username for their SMTP server authentication Password The clients password for their SMTP server authentication SMTP The clients SMTP server for their ISP SMTP Port The clients SMTP port number for their ISP Email Address The clients full reply email address

Appendix E—Account Editing Fields Account Editing Fields Field Description Editable Branch The branch number for which this account No belongs Department The department number for which this No account belongs Account ID The account ID number of this account No Acc Descript The description that the client Yes will see for this account Private % The private portion allocated to other accounts - Yes double click the row to change this field Comments Any comments associated with this account Yes Field Description Step 6 Fields (Section 2) New Account Details - Header Information Type The type of the new account from the list Name A descriptive name for the new account Header Account The header account for which this new account should belong DebitThe opening debit amount on the account¹ CreditThe opening credit amount on the account² New Account Details - Private Portions Description A description for the reason of the private percentage Percentage The percentage that should be allocated to the destination account Destination Account The destination account for which this private portion should be allocated Account Setup Fields Account Selection Fields Setup Has this account been set up yet, the user cannot submit until all accounts have been set up. Branch The branch number of this account Department The department number of this account Account ID The account id for this account Description The name of this account Account Type The type of set up that is required for this account Account Codes Used In Setup Form E07 Hire Purchase (Accruals) E08 Hire Purchase (Cash) E03 Non Reportable Expense I15 Predominant LTGA (Input Taxed) I10 Predominant LTCA (5.5%)

The steps of the requester unit 22 are described in more details in FIGS. 5A to 5Q. FIG. 5R shows parts of an example of the Available Accounts report, and FIG. 5S shows parts of an example of the Selected Accounts report.

FIG. 6 shows the steps taken by the administration module 14 in creating and maintaining client databases, and in responding to the requests from the requester unit 22. The administration module 14 thus provides the option of opening an existing client database for viewing or maintaining through step 26, the option for a registered advisor (accountant) to create new client modules and to maintain client account databases through step 28, and the option of creating a new client module 12 in responding to a request from the requester unit 22 though steps 30 and 32. In all options, a script step 34 is entered in which the administration module 14 will perform the tasks of opening the existing accounts file named in the step 26, or to create a new client accounts file as requested by the requester unit 22 in the steps 30 and 32.

When creating a new client accounts file, the administration module 14 checks for whether accounts details for the new file are provided in the request and if not, whether there is a specified trading type in the request. If accounts details are present, the module 14 extracts the relevant information from the provided accounts details for incorporation into the new file. If the accounts details have not been provided and there is a specified trading type, the module 14 selects default accounts details for the trading type for incorporation into the new file. Where neither accounts-details nor a trading type are provide, the module 14 prompts the requester for the required information.

A script maintenance step 36 is entered for performing accounts file maintenance tasks as illustrated in FIG. 6A. Any of the following accounts fields can be added, edited or deleted as illustrated in steps 38 to 46. Field Description Account Fields Branch The branch ID number for which this account belongs Department The department ID number for which this account belongs COY The company number for this account (reserved) Account ID The account identification number, the sub account number of this number will default to XXXX, clicking the ( . . . ) button inside this field will allocate it with the next available number for that header account. Acc Descript A short (1-40 chars) description of the account DR_CR This field should be DEBIT or CREDIT Post Does this account get included in the financial reports EOY There are four options for this field: RETAIN - Will carry the closing balance to the Retention account at the end of the financial year HOLD - This account will hold its closing balance at the end of the financial year ZERO - This account must have a balance of 0 at the end of the financial year, eg. Don't Know Or Not Listed accounts CLEAR - This account will automatically clear its balance at the end of the financial year Comments Any comments relevant to this account GST Split The Private Portion for this account expressed as a percentage Group ID What entity this account belongs to, see Appendix C SP Status Is this account a source account Retention The account where the closing balance is to be retained. See EOY above Code A code which determines how the information is stored for the transaction that occur when this account is used as a destination account, see Appendix D for a complete listing. Code Ex A code which determines any extended properties of this account, see Appendix E for a complete listing. Open Status Does this account require an opening balance CR Total Opening credits on this account DR Total Opening debits on this account Saved Total This field is used internally for reports to store a temporary balance for the account Must Select Does this account have to be included if its relevant entity is included as part of the project Selected Is this account selected to be included in the project TA Percentage This stores the Taxed Acquisition Percentage Source Determines if the account CAN be a source account, i.e. should it be listed in requester as part of the source account listing Acc ID A number that determines a unique identifier for this NEW account Setup - Account Changes Fields New Account Name The new account name for this accounts

In step 48, additional information that is relevant to an account detail is presented in order to alert the user of the appropriate detail to be entered. FIG. 6D shows examples of the additional information.

In step 50, the interface as shown in FIG. 6B is used to enter client details for the client module. Below are some of the client details: Field Description Owner Details Section Username The clients user name Company The clients company name Phone The clients phone number Password The administration password for the database Serial Number This generated field is the code needed to install E-Mail The clients e-mail Company Details Full Name The full name of the clients company Trading Name The trading name of the clients company Address The address of the clients company ABN The ABN of the clients company GST Percentage The GST percentage for the clients business Residency Rate The long term commercial accommodation rate for the clients business Accountant Version This option is checked if the database is for an accountant Template Version The major version number of the database Template Sub Version The minor version number of the database Accountant Details E-Mail The E-Mail address for the accountant to which this client belongs Trading Name The trading name for the accountant to which this client belongs Phone The phone number for the accountant to which this client belongs Server Host Name The name of the server for the live version (Phase 2) IP Address The IP Address of the server for the live version (Phase 2) Server Logon Name The initial logon name for the live server (Phase 2) Server Logon Passy The initial logon password for the live server (Phase 2) Server Port The port to use when connecting to the server (Phase 2) Server Version The minimum version number of the server that the database expects Update OBs This option should be checked if the opening balances need to be updated when the project is first opened in ECLAT

The step 52 allows the accountant to set up a new client module 12 and to add the account details to a template database, and any of the account details can be declared private and edited as illustrated in steps 54 to 58.

The step 60 is for maintaining reconciliation entries as shown below: Field Description Reconciliation - Main Entry Recon ID An automatically filled field which represents the ID number for this reconciliation The company number for this reconciliation (reserved) Recon Start The starting date for the reconciliation Recon End The ending date for the reconciliation Recon Acc Name The account for which this reconciliation is for Closing CR Balance The closing credit balance for the reconciliation Closing DR Balance The closing debit balance for the reconciliation OS Balance The amount outstanding Opening Balance Opening balance Closing Balance Closing balance Ledger Balance Ledger balance Reconciliation - Sub Entry Payment Amount of the payment Receipt Amount of the receipt Date Date of the balance Reference Reference information OS Hidden Field - Is this entry outstanding Entry ID A unique identifier for this entry

The group identification field in the account fields may be any of the followings: Group IDs ID Description 0 Always included 1 Club or Association 2 Company 3 Consolidation Adjustment 4 Manufacturing Account 5 Partnership 6 Sole Trader 7 Superannuation Fund 8 Trading Account 9 Trust Discretionary 10 Trust Unit

The accounts codes has the following extensions identified as the “Code Ex” field in the accounts fields: Account Codes Code Description CA Indicates whether the transactions for this account will be capital on the business activity statement CG Cost of Goods Sold II Indicates whether the transactions for this account will be instalment income on the business activity statement NA There is no extended functionality for this account OB Opening Balance (Private/Journal Use) OI Performs the same functionality as NA

A debugging process is used to debug and test the client module 12 before packaging for delivery to the client.

When the client receives the new client module 12 it can be installed on his computer and the module 12 is ready for use without the usual need to set up accounts and to allocate tax liabilities that is common in the prior art. Moreover, he needs not to learn new accounting terms as the account descriptions are the ones he is familiar with.

When the client module 12 such as a cash book module is set to operate, the module 12 performs a security check with the steps as shown in FIG. 7A unless the security check procedure is disabled for this client. If the client is allow to continue, a main interface is presented for selection of any one of the operation options. For examples, the “Receipt Entry” and “Payment Entry” options when selected would present the interfaces as shown respectively in FIGS. 8A and 8B. The module 12 can be operated in either a client mode or an accountant (advisor) mode. If the client mode is operating, When operating in the client mode the module 12 opens a local accounts database file for use and checks for opening balance update flag for performing the update operation when this flag is checked.

FIG. 7B shows the operational steps for both the “Payment Entry” or the “Receipt Entry” options as respectively shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. When in the “Receipt Entry” operation, a set of prompts appear such as the ones shown in FIG. 8C for the client to provide appropriate information for calculating tax liabilities of the transaction. FIG. 7C shows the steps for some of the prompts. Note that all the codes for the prompts are based on the I codes of the accounts codes. Embodiments of the receipt prompts are as follows:

Receipt Questions Field Description Amount withheld for failing to provide ABN (FIG. 8D) Will a compliant Tax Invoice be Check box asking if a tax invoice will be provided, if it is Provided? provided you do not need to specify the Amount Withheld Amount Withheld Entry field for the amount which was withheld Invoice Total This is the total of the transaction Amount withheld for failing to provide a Tax File Number (FIG. 8E) TFN Withholding? Entry field for the amount which is withholding to your TFN Total This is the total ledger amount of the transaction Tax Information (FIG. 8E) How much is taxable supply? Entry field for the amount which is taxable supply How much is PRE Jan. 7, 2000? Entry field for the amount which is pre Jan. 7, 2000 How much is export supply? Entry field for the amount which is export supply How much is GST Free supply? Entry field for the amount which is GST free supply How much is input taxed? Entry field for the amount which is input taxed Amt Withheld for failing to provide ABN? Entry field for the amount for failing to provide an ABN Calculated Total This is the total of all other entry fields Original Total This is the total of the transaction Long-term Commercial Accommodation (FIG. 8F) How much from guests who have stayed Entry field for the amount which was from guests who have less than 28 days? stayed less than 28 days Original Total This is the total of the transaction

FIG. 7D shows some of the prompts for the “Payment Entry” operation and an example of the interface for the payment prompts is illustrated in FIG. 8G. Note that all the codes for the payment prompts are based on the E codes of the accounts codes. Embodiments of the payment prompts are as follows: Pay Questions Field Description Amount Withheld (FIG. 8H) What is the amount withheld? This is where the user types in the amount withheld Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Vehicle Details (FIG. 8I) How much is third party? This is where the user types in the amount that was for third party How much is registration? This is where the user types in the amount that was for registration Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Payment Including Stamp Duty (FIG. 8J) How much is stamp duty? Entry field for the amount paid that was stamp duty How much is Taxed Acquisition? Entry field for the amount paid that was taxed acquisition How much is GST Free? Entry field for the amount paid that was GST free Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Airfare Expenses (FIG. 8K) How much is airfare tax? Entry field for the amount paid that was airfare How much is Taxed Acquisition? Entry field for the amount paid that was taxed acquisition How much is GST Free? Entry field for the amount paid that was GST free Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Taxed Acquisition (FIG. 8L) How much is Taxed Acquisition? Entry field for the amount paid that was taxed acquisition How much is Non Taxed Acquisition Entry field for the amount paid that was non taxed acquisition How much is PRE Jan. 7, 2000? Entry field for the amount paid that was before Jan. 7, 2000 How much is other? Entry field for the amount paid that does not belong in any other fields Original Amount This shows the entire amount for the current item Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Loan Details (FIG. 8M) How much is interest? Entry field for the amount paid that was interest How much is principal? Entry field for the amount paid that was principal How much is stamp duty? Entry field for the amount paid that was stamp duty Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Hire Purchase Details (FIG. 8N) How much is interest? Entry field for the amount paid that was interest How much is principal? Entry field for the amount paid that was principal How much is stamp duty? Entry field for the amount paid that was stamp duty Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Gross Wage (FIG. 8HO) What is the amount of tax withheld? Entry field for the amount paid that was tax withheld What is the amount of other withholdings? Entry field for the amount paid that was other withholdings Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Voluntary Agreement (FIG. 8P) How max tax withheld? Entry field for the amount paid that was tax withheld Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction Instalment with all GST Paid up Front (FIG. 8Q) How much is stamp duty? Entry field for the amount paid that was stamp duty How much is GST? Entry field for the amount of GST on the transaction Instalment amount? Entry field for the instalment amount Calculated Total This is the total of the transaction

Referring now to FIG. 8R which shows an interface for the bank reconciliation operation. The steps for the reconciliation operation are shown in FIG. 7E and FIG. 7F.

The client module 12 has a report operation wherein the client can select any of a number of reports to be displayed or printed. FIG. 8S shows an embodiment of an interface for configuring the module 12 to display a report for payments. As can be seen, the client can select a source account and nominates the period of weeks for the report. Where applicable, the report can be limited to payment transaction activities of a department or branch. FIG. 8T is an example showing parts of the payment report. Other examples are FIG. 8U for a Pay As You Go (PAYG) report, FIG. 8V for a Summary report, FIG. 8W for a GST audit report, FIG. 8X for a BAS statement report and FIG. 8Y for an accounts balance report.

The system 10 has a general ledger unit 20 for each advisor accountant module 13. The ledger unit 20 has a main interface as shown in FIG. 9A. The operational steps of the ledger main interface are shown in FIG. 9B. The main interface has a journal edit option for the accountant to edit a selected journal entry as shown in steps 80 and 82. A journal report option in step 84 allows details of the journal entries to be reported as shown in FIG. 9D. FIG. 9E shows a GST audit report generated by selecting the step 86 option. Account opening balance reports as shown in FIG. 9E are produced through step 88. A delete function 90 is provided for deleting the current journal entry.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the system 10 where the administration module 14 is also a transaction coordinator, and is arranged to transfer purchase orders from client modules 12 of clients wishing to place orders for products to be supplied from known suppliers who are also using the client modules 12 for transactions. The suppliers on receiving the purchase orders convert them to sales orders and then take steps to obtained the ordered products from warehouses or to place production orders. Delivery and transportation are then arranged for delivery of the products. Invoices are also generated and transferred to the coordinator 14. When the clients ordering the products have finally received them, they will flag that to the coordinator 14 and to add the products to inventory. In time, remittances would be sent to the accrual coordinator 14 for making payments to the suppliers.

FIG. 10A shows a standard cost process which is used by the client (cashbook) modules 12 of the system 10 shown in FIG. 10 for checking variances between standard costs and actual costs of products.

FIG. 10B is an overview flow diagram of an accrual arrangement of the system 10. As can be seen, a user can select any of the operations connected with a customer list, an inventory, reports and transactions. When the transactions operation is selected, the client mules 12 can perform operations relating to debtors invoice generating, credit note generating and payments. Transaction balance is also calculated by adjustments thereof.

FIG. 10C shows the operational steps for the invoice generating operation for ordered products. The invoice generating operation on receiving a “create Invoice” selection displays an interface from which a customer for invoicing can be selected. The products ordered by this customer are then selected from a product list with their unit price. Any discount arrangement for this customer is also retrieved. The module 12 then extracts GST payable for the products and determines the delivery address from the customer list. If the ordered products are for an overseas destination, GST is not applied. The general ledger is then updated with the net sale value and where applicable allocated with the discount and the GST. Costs of sale are then posted to the general ledger and the inventory before saving the invoiced values to the module 12.

FIG. 10D shows the steps of an debtor payment operation.

FIG. 10E shows the steps of a debtor credit note operation. The steps include selecting and displaying the invoice for making adjustment, updating the inventory if the product is returned, and adjusting prices and quantity. The general ledger is also adjusted in respect of costs of sale, GST and net sale value. For overseas destinations, the export orders are reallocated. If the goods are for local delivery then the GST is readjusted before ouputting a debit note.

FIG. 10F shows the steps in a debtor sales order operation. This operation allows an operator to select a customer making the order and to select the products and quantity thereof for delivery by a specified method and date. The system checks for availability of the ordered products. If available, a products pick list is created followed by a delivery docket for dispatch. If the ordered products are not available then a back order is created.

FIG. 10G shows the steps of a purchase order operation.

FIG. 10H shows the steps of a creditor payment operation.

FIG. 10I shows an embodiment of the system 10 arranged for use as an extended point of sale. As can be seen the system 10 has some client module 12 functioning as customers and some functioning as suppliers. When a customer module 12 is used to make a purchase, the client selects products for the order as shown in FIG. 10G. The customer module processes the selected products to build a purchase order with the customer's global identifier created as shown by the steps in FIG. 10L. The purchase order is sent to the administration module 14 for processing as shown in FIG. 10J. The module 14 extracts relevant information from the purchase order and forwards the order to the supplier module 12 identified in the order. The supplier module 12 on receiving the order coverts it into a sales order and processes it as shown in FIG. 10F. A tax invoice is then raised and sent to the administration module 14. The invoice includes the supplier's global identity.

The administration module 14 extracts relevant details from the invoice and locate the customer module 12 for sending it to the customer. See FIG. 10K.

When the customer module 12 receives the invoice, it performs a checking step for a match with the purchase order. GST details of the purchased products are extracted from a product list for updating the general ledger.

As shown in FIG. 10M, any of the supplier modules 12 can build a product availability list and send it to the administration module 14 for processing it in a manner for access by the customer modules 12 as shown in FIG. 10N.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth in the following claims. 

1-23. (canceled)
 24. An accounting system including at least one client module for use by a client and an administration module for administering said at least one client module, the administration module and the at least one client module being arranged for communication over a communications network, the at least one client module having transaction entry means for entering transaction records, pre-assigned transaction category codes being stored on a storage medium, means for selecting a pre-assigned category code to associate with a transaction record to be entered through the transaction entry means, and a client chart of accounts for selection of an account to which the transaction record is to be associated, the accounts being predetermined by the client or in accordance with accounts of at least one trading type prenominated by the client, each of said accounts including a pre-allocated unique account identification and an account description which is prescribed by the client or generally adopted by traders in said at least one trading type, and each of said category codes being pre-specified as a taxed or non-taxed, and as an expenditure or income transaction type, the administration module having a master chart of accounts from which the client chart of accounts is extracted, and chart generating means for generating said master chart of accounts in accordance with a user's determination.
 25. The system according to claim 24 wherein said at least one trading type include trading activities involving the provision of goods and/or services relating to any class of business.
 26. The system according to claim 24 wherein the at least one client module having means for obtaining information relevant to tax liabilities of the transaction records, said information obtaining means having one or more prompts associated with each of a plurality transaction category codes that have tax liabilities, and being arranged to present the associated one or more prompts for entering information relevant to tax liabilities when one of said category code is nominated for a transaction to be entered, and to extract the entered information for allocating tax liabilities of the transaction.
 27. The system according to claim 26 wherein said one or more prompts are in the form of one or more leading questions for prompting the client to enter said relevant tax liability information in a designated location(s), and the at least one client module being arranged to extract the entered information at said designated location(s) and apply a tax liability determination procedure which is specific for the or each extracted information from said designated location(s).
 28. The system according to 24 wherein the at least one client module having report generating means arranged to access the entered transaction records for generating accounting reports.
 29. The system according to claim 28 wherein the report generating means including a report selection arrangement for selecting any one of a number of accounting reports for generation.
 30. The system according to claim 28 wherein at least one of said taxed category codes is pre-allocated to taxation segments for a taxation report, being one of the accounting reports.
 31. The system according to claim 30 wherein said taxation report is a Business Activity Statement (BAS) that complies with the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
 32. The system according to claim 24 wherein where a taxed category code having a variable taxation allocation is entered, a window with appropriate prompts for specifying amounts to be allocated is presented for entering the amounts.
 33. The system according to claim 32 wherein the category code is associated with a wage account in said client chart of accounts.
 34. The system according to claim 24 further having storage means for storing the transaction records and is arranged for accessing bank statement records over the communications network.
 35. The system according to claim 34 wherein the at least one client module having reconciliation means for reconciling said stored transaction records with the bank statement records.
 36. The system according to claim 24 further including at least one adviser module having report generating means being arranged to access transaction records transferred from the at least one client module for generating accounting reports and management reports.
 37. The system according to claim 36 wherein the report generating means including a report selection arrangement for selecting any one of a number of accounting and management reports for generation.
 38. The system according to claim 24 wherein the client chart of accounts is locked so that the account identifications and the account descriptions therein can not be altered by the user.
 39. The system according to claim 24 wherein the administration module having a transaction code generating means for generating the transaction codes as specified by the user.
 40. The system according to claim 24 wherein the at least one client module including a plurality of client modules in communication with the administration module, each of the client modules having a unique client reference and is adapted to transfer sales orders and/or purchase orders through the administration module, each of said sales orders and/or purchase orders including a client reference of a purchasing client module and a client reference of a supplier client module.
 41. The system according to claim 40 wherein the administration module having a coordination unit arranged to use the client references to transfer a purchase order from the purchasing client module to the supplier client module and to transfer a subsequently received invoice from the supplier client module to the purchasing client module.
 42. The system according to claim 41 wherein payment of the invoice is transfer through the administration module so that the coordination unit has a record that the invoice has been settled.
 43. The system according to claim 42 wherein storage means being arranged to store transaction information between suppliers and purchasers, and the coordination unit being arranged to automate purchase orders when stocks for transactions are below predetermined levels.
 44. The system according to claim 40 wherein each said plurality of client modules is associated with said at least one adviser module which is also arranged to be in communication with the administration module so that the transaction records of the associated client(s) can be accessed remotely.
 45. The system according to claim 24 wherein the at least one client module is a cash book module or an accrual module or a combined cash book and accrual module, or a payroll module or a point of sale module, or any combination of two or more of said modules. 